Within Dimension 10
by The Suburban Coyote
Summary: When Edward Elric finds himself out of his depth and in the wrong world, how will he ever survive to make it home? With help from Anna, an abused physics whiz from a broken home, he just might make it. Can he get her to believe his story? EdxOC
1. A school of fish

I'm sorry guys! I ran over a plot bunny and fell into a plothole. I will finish my other stories!

If I owned FMA, this wouldn't be a FAN-fiction, now would it? ;)

New reader, please enjoy! I hope it's okay. I hope this isn't too unrealistic, 'cause I based most of Anna's life off of mine, and that includes the nerdy science stuff! The only real differences so far is the long hair and gymnastics. (I'm scared of heights. Tell no-one.) Enjoy!

Anna Maria Johnson.

16, 5'5, female, brown eyes, brown hair, moderately fit build, pale freckly sun-spotted tan.

Artist, philosopher, self-proclaimed physics nut, daydreamer, renowned smartass, backsass-lipping- extraordinaire.

Also, currently skipping calculus 11.

The girl in question was currently sitting, alone, in the middle of a near-vacant library, at the only table that didn't seem to have an insanely involved tecchie typing away at a laptop.

She didn't know how to use one.

She didn't even own one.

The government traces individual searches, anyway.

Besides, she didn't need one to keep occupied.

In front of her were three such books as _Essential Chemistry Collection: Carbon Chemistry, Stiff: A Condensed History Of the Cadaver, _and the currently open, _Ten dimensions of reality._

Still, as admittedly stuffy as the titles seemed, her eyes were wide in excitement, her left hand tracing the small typed text while her right was busy scribbling chicken-scratch notes into a battered little notebook.

See, Anna loved science. All kinds. She loved physics for the glorious beauty of the universe, how some things moved differently than other things, the graceful curves and arcs of a falling versus tossed object.

She loved chemistry for the creativity, the experimentation, the knowledge that, when stripped to the barest of materials, a human really wasn't all that more complicated than an asteroid.

Botany represented evolution, how everything ever needed by anyone already existed, the comfort in knowing that nature had everything was already taken care of for her.

Yes, all sciences interested her.

Not so much biology.

It wasn't like she minded learning about how living things were, or even the thought of touching dead things. She had often gotten in trouble as a child for bringing dead snakes and mice and such home when she was little.

No, she hated the dissection.

A creature, not dead by natural causes, but killed in the cold sterile name of knowledge.

In the light of a so-called 'greater need', she knew, nothing would seem too drastic. What was to stop someone from moving from frogs to people? What was the real difference, anyways?

The smell of formaldehyde, the little needle-holes at the base of the skull, the vulnerable little limbs stiff from rigor-mortem, eyes glossed by the thin chemical film…

It usually made her barf.

So, physics.

Her current notes were scribbled at a lightening pace, faster and faster as she became deeper engrossed in the book that her nose was practically jammed into.

"…_tenth dimension, sometimes quipped to be the 'god dimension', is thought to be the final step of reality, containing the ninth dimension, containing the eighth dimension, and containing each processing dimension afterwards. Time, space, and choice are all contained within, pertaining to every possibility for every universe, in every Omni verse. Other books mentioning said dimension are…"_

Covered by her curtaining hair, a pair of ear-buds drowned out the chatter around.

'…_Every feeling that we get, but I haven't missed you yet…_

_Every roommate kept awake, by every sigh and scream…'_

***CLUNK.***

_FUCK!_

The loud, unexpected noise yanked her out of her trance, causing her ear-buds to fall out and a long, scraping line to jerk across the remaining space on her page.

A boy around her age stood across the table from her, blond-haired and only a little taller, with a book bag slung over one shoulder and a chair pulled out beside him.

Admittedly, he was kind of cute, but Anna had been through enough pointless crushes to be able to ignore it by now.

Back to the guy:

One eyebrow was noticeably raised, apparently amused by her violent reaction.

_Well then._

She stared for a moment, trying her best to figure out how the hell he had managed to sneak up on her like that.

_Okay, embarrassing. What now?_

When he didn't move to say anything, she opened her moth to speak, but he ran over her sentence by just a second.

"I asked if I could sit here, but you were pretty zoned."

Without repeating a request, he promptly slumped down on the chair, dumping his bag on the table with a muffled _BUMP._

"Sorry there, I didn't hear you."

He didn't acknowledge her reply by facing her, he simply gave out a mutter of '_Yeah, I noticed that part.'_, and began digging through his things.

Internally, a giant goofy smile took root, laced with underlying evil.

_Oh, he SOOOO started this._

Anna loved arguments. Any kind of argument. And she was good at it. She'd like to credit that to her dad. He liked arguing too. Not really a great mode of self-preservation, but hell, was it entertaining.

Calmly, she closed her books, and replied,

"Yeah, magic headphones."

"Huh?"

Her seemingly random comment was enough to attract the stranger's attention. She held out a hand, displaying reverently a pair of red metallic earphones.

"I said, magic headphones."

The blond leaned closer, curiosity piqued.

Anna noticed, with some slight surprise, that his pale brown eyes seemed almost a honey sort of color in the light.

"How are they magic?" he asked, frowning.

"They aren't doing anything."

_Oooh, he totally walked into it!_ she mentally cheered.

"When I'm wearing them," she stated triumphantly, trying her best not to burst out giggling halfway through, "I can't hear 'stupid'."

The boy froze, realizing the implications of her statement.

_Is it just me, or was that a smirk?_ she wondered.

"Touché. Well played."

He sat back lazily, bag forgotten.

"Still, stupidity can be cured. I don't know what you have, but it's obviously incurable."

Her jaw fell open with an audible **THUNK**, but she quickly snapped it shut with a proud smirk.

This one knew the game.

"Well then, maybe your doctor can help. It certainly is amazing how she fixed your face."

Again, the eyebrow lifted.

"Alright, I'll bite. What about my face?"

"Well, usually when someone gets hit that hard with the ugly stick, it leaves permanent damage. Still, I suppose that could account for your first problem."

_WHOOT! Epic win!_

Unfortunately, her triumph was short-lived.

"I assume you WOULD recognize the symptoms, wouldn't you?"

_Gaaah-whu- MY SOOOOOUL! I'M MEEEEEELTING!_

"I-"

"…"

Before she could help herself, a huge grin ripped straight across her face, and an embarrassingly loud laugh echoed through the room.

"**God damnit, that was awesome! I- I- Bwah!"**

She gave up on articulation, surrendering completely to convulsive, hiccupping giggles.

A hand on her arm stopped her, however, and she looked up with wide eyes to the scowling face of Jessie Knowles, her calculus class' TA.

The class she was currently skipping.

_Fuck._

"Anna."

_Fuck._

Her conversation partner seemed a little scared, and more than a little confused.

He would be totally useless with finding an alibi.

_Fuck._

"I was sent to find you and escort you back to class."

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck._

Choosing not to respond, she gasped, gulping in a huge mouthful of air, and started coughing, starting with little putters and working up to a heaving hack.

Waving her arms in a seemingly mindless, panicked frenzy, she grabbed her notebook, and stumbled upright.

Now, the blond at the table seemed more than a little disturbed.

"Are- are you-?"

"A-air," she gasped, motioning to a window.

Jessie, the poor boy, didn't know what to think of the flailing young woman in front of him, and after a moments stuttering indecision, dutifully turned to open the nearest bulletproof panel.

She rushed to the sill and stuck her head out, taking in great breaths of the fresh air, inwardly relishing the light misting spring ran on her face.

She stopped heaving and closed her eyes.

It felt so nice….

"Come on now, Anna. Mr. Eric already said you have detention."

"One minute," she snapped breathlessly, playing the perfect part of a traumatized girly-girl prep.

"Just a sec."

She carefully stuck her little booklet into the pocket of her hoodie, hoping that he wouldn't notice, and leaned out the side of the building.

"Now, Anna."

The tips of her fingers brushed the side of a cold, slick drainpipe, and a smirk played across her lips.

"Sorry about that…"

Without any warning, she jumped headfirst out the opening of the third story window, falling out of sight before either boy could make a move to stop her.

"ANNA!"

Both Jessie and the blond rushed to the opening, only to meet Anna's smiling face as she strained to grip the drainpipe.

Their faces were priceless… she couldn't help it.

She blew a massive raspberry in the TA's face, and slid down the pipe firefighter-style, to somersault off the portable below, finally landing in a crouch in the school parking lot.

_Man, adrenaline rush!_

_It sure has been awhile._

_Thank god for gymnastics._

Anna flipped up her hood, and turned to run for the for the forest.

As an afterthought, she sent a cocky wave to the library window.

"**Tell Mr. Eric I have the flu and went home early! Bye!"**

**The last Jessie saw of Anna Maria Johnson that afternoon was a coral-pink hoodie disappearing into the forest next to the school, chuckling all the way, until the giggle was all that was left.**

**Okay, I didn't get that beta'd, so I need a reviewed response. C'mon guys. I know you're there. Like it? Hate it? Sorry there wasn't more plot, but I'm working on the setup. Yeah, Ed was the blond, but Anna doesn't need to know that yet. : )REVIEW! Please?**


	2. A pride of cats

**Hullo! I couldn't fall asleep, so I updated! No sleep = 1more chapter. Equivalent exchange, right? Unfortunately, humans can live longer without water than they can without sleep, so don't get used to the fast chapters. :D Again, me no ownie FMA. Got it? U no sue. Enjoy! 8)**

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It was a beautiful day. Not many days were like it around the small town of Eelityl.

Yes, a simply gorgeous day... Shining sun, blue skies, cool grass, and not a cloud to be seen. Absolutely perfect in every imaginable way.

_And I'm stuck inside. _

_Remind me, why did I even bother showing up at school? _

Anna sat, staring miserably out the same window she always stared out, in the same desk she always sat in, trying for the life of her to pay attention and finish re-reading her notes while her teacher was busy prattling. It wasn't working.

"Anna? Anna? **ANNA!"**

_Shit! What?_

She looked up, and saw Mr. Eric leaning forwards on his desk, white knuckles gripping the fake wood edge board.

As usual, he was trying to scowl menacingly, and pulling it off fairly well, in Anna's opinion.

After all, the guy _was_ the school's volunteer football coach.

Who the hell _volunteers_ to teach testosterone-pumped, hormone-driven, gorilla-built teenage boys to tackle and maim on command and _didn't_ have a pants-wettingly terrifying 'angry scowl'? Even if the guy was half-bald and didn't look like he could chase down an ice cream truck, much less a rogue teenager on a Red-bull buzz, Anna knew that messing with his mind was a bad idea.

Still, bad ideas were her specialty. She had trained every acquaintance she had come across to run away at a simple phrase-

"_Hey guys, I've got an idea."_

Any friend that survived a week with her lasted forever.

She didn't have many.

"Anna, no reading in class. Pay attention."

She refocused on the grumpy man at the desk.

"I am paying attention."

The scowl deepened.

"No, you're not. What's that book you're reading?"

The whole class turned to face her. Lovely: captive audience. A full house, too.

_This is gonna be fun._

She sighed, and turned the book so that the scribbled pages faced the board.

"This is my notebook. It's what I've written my notes in. I've already written down what you're talking about, now I'm just re-reading it in words I understand."

She flicked her brown eyes up to come in perfect contact with the man's dull blue ones.

_Eye contact: a sign of challenge. Challenging authority, establishing dominant pack status._

_You look away first, you lose._

"As I said, I am paying attention."

After a long silence, he looked away.

Anna cheered inside, rolling in the win.

However, instead of resuming in his monologue, his eyes narrowed dangerously at her feet.

"Where are your shoes?"

_Whoops._

She wiggled her toes self-consciously, only just remembering a small detail from the day before.

"Uhhh-" _**DOKDOKDOK.**_

Mr. Eric shot the small brunette a final look of disdain, and turned to answer the door.

Anna sighed, letting out all the breath she had been holding in.

_Saved by the bell._

_Well, the knock,_ she admonished.

_Shut up, crazy._

_Okay._

"Well class, we have a new student in our class."

_Whuh?_

Oh, look. The guy from the library.

About 5'7. Pale skin, but not unhealthy. Still has his book bag. Ponytail? She hadn't noticed that yesterday. Still kind of cute. Black hoodie. Cargo pants. Construction gloves? Must have an after-school job. Practical black boots. Probably walks to school.

One by one, she ran through his appearance, and not seeing anything overly unusual, she flipped her notebook back open, randomly flicking to a page she had written on animals.

_Bullfrogs, ants, fish, and sharks never sleep._

_Cows can sleep standing up and laying down, but they only dream laying down._

_Ants don't have lungs._

_Sheep are born with long tails._

_A group of cats is a pride._

_A group of dogs is a pack._

_A group of crows is a-_

"Pardon me?"

She looked up again.

Mr. Eric was currently attempting to 'show off' the new kid. He was failing miserably, and everyone knew it, but the kid in question seemed amused.

"I said, Edward. My name is Edward."

"Do you sparkle?" came a cry from the back of the room.

The blond frowned in puzzlement at the question, as though he had no clue what the speaker was talking about.

"Um, no. Can't say that I do."

"Got a girlfriend?" came a breathy voice from Anna's right.

His cheeks reddened slightly.

"Uhhh…."

"HEY! That's enough!" Mr. Eric interjected.

Now Edward, where are you from?"

Edward shuffled his feet, seeming to be a bit nervous from the crowd.

"Germany… Hohenroth," He stated, after a second's hesitation.

"It's a pretty small village, in Bavaria."

"I see," said Mr. Eric, bobbing his head and fake-smiling stupidly.

"Well, you can sit back there, next to Anna Johnson. Maybe you can teach her some manners."

Anna scowled, fuming at the comment. This wasn't a therapy group; he had no right to 'discuss' what he so openly considered to be her flaws. She'd get him for it later.

Edward nodded uncertainly, and made his way down the isle. Anna paid him no mind, opting to continue her death glare at Mr. Eric.

"Oh, by the way…" Mr. Eric drawled, turning back to his lesson.

"A pair of brown leather hiking boots were found yesterday, one with red laces and one with black. They were fairly worn, so I assume that the owner must have a pretty rough walk home. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, so whoever lost them may feel free to pick them up here after school."

….

….

….

_FUCK._

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**So, good, bad, nausea-inducing? Let me know! : ) I'm working on the next chapter as we speak, and I know you guys have been reading, so pleasepleaseplease respond!**

**(I'm basing a load of this off my own school, so please understand that 'Mr. Eric' really isn't all that evil, he just has grudges just like many other people do. Don't hate him too much?**

**REVIEW! **


	3. A pack of dogs

**Remember, if I owned FMA, Al would have a kitten.**

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Anna raced home, letting out gasping, breathless chuckles of amusement as she went.

Her escape from the day before had not gone unnoticed, and although Mr. Eric hadn't brought it up, she knew she had him beat. Still, there was still the small matter of the shoes he now held hostage.

Meh, she'd figure something out.

Besides, the story going around was priceless.

By the time the school had sent out someone to search for her, and tracked her purposely messy trail through to the middle of the forest, they'd spent at least an hour attempting to coax her out of an endlessly tall pine tree. They hadn't even realized until much later into the night that what seemed to be the dangling legs of a teenage girl perched on the highest branch was just a pair of boots and Jessie's gym pants.

A little revenge never hurt, and really, the poor schmuck shouldn't whisper his locker combination so loud.

It was almost worth the great jagged chunks of gravel in her feet from the road, and the great splashing raindrops sinking through her clothes.

A half hour later, she had finally managed to pull herself home.

Man, it was nice to finally be able to relax.

Up on a big hill, overlooking the long dirt road, was a little brown house with a trailer parked beside it. Not a big camping trailer, but the oversized suitcase kind that people used for large pet crates.

It had taken awhile, but with a little help from some metal shop kids, she had managed to get the thing welded solidly to the back of a mountain bike. As a bonus, they had also installed a small Plexiglas window into the side.

After digging around in the friendly neighborhood sally-Ann, Anna had bargained two couch cushions, a solar-powered yard lamp, and a little corkboard for an office. The end result? A 2x1x1 portable bed, a small space for papers and schoolwork, a note board, a lamp, and a mailbox welded to the outside, full to the edge with various ravioli and fruit dinner cans, to be opened whenever she was hungry.

Unfortunately however, the metal shop kids had a slightly painful sense of humor, and close ties to the art shop kids.

The door had been draped in rainbow stripes. The mailbox was grey, with two wooden kitty ears screwed on top.

At the end of the day, she was to be the proud owner of a Nyan-cat trailer home bicycle.

Nothing says 'white trash' better, according to the neighbors down the road.

She used to just sleep in the house, but over a year ago an argument with he dad changed that little detail.

"I am your father, and I paid for this house. While you live in my house, you will live by my rules."

Five minutes and a sleeping bag later, Anna was happily snoring away on the roof.

Now it was pretty much just a washroom and fridge.

It wasn't like she wasn't allowed back in, it was just that she was sick of being disappointed.

Every week on the week, something small would happen, and her argument-loving father would blow it out of proportion. Inevitably, his argument-loving daughter would always be sure to answer. He'd call her a bitch, she'd call him an idiot.

"Don't use words like that. Honestly, you're being a bitch."

Smart thing she was, she'd always have an answer.

"I'm calling you an idiot because you're acting like one. I didn't do anything!"

"What did you just call me?"

"I didn't _call_ you an idiot, I said that you're _acting_ like one. If you're acting like a hen, you're not going to have fresh eggs for breakfast in the morning!"

That nearly _always_ ended with her ass locked in her room, and a football game cranked up and blasting her eardrums out downstairs.

Still, central heating was a tempting offer.

Then again, there _was_ a store on the way home that sold heat packs for $2.75.

Who needed refrigerated food, anyways?

Inside the trailer, Anna plugged her mp3 into a speaker, and clicked on the mobile crank generator.

"_I could be mean, I could be angry,_

_You know, I could be just like you."_

_3 day's grace: 'Just like you'. Sweet. _She loved this song.

It was great to be home. Finally, she could just relax.

She draped herself in a blue-green towel to dry her dripping hair, and just started singing along. Who was around to care about her horrible voice, anyways?

"I could be fake, I could be stupid,

You know, I could be just like you…!"

Clunking the hood closed behind her, Anna proceeded to dump the contents of her pockets out on her bed.

_Notebook, pencil, pencil, pen, eraser nub, ooh, gum! Pencil shavings, coupon…_

"I could be weak, I could be senseless,

You know, I could be just like you…"

She flicked open her notes to a clear page and began to write.

'_Stage 1 of human decomposition: stage 1, Autolysis._

_The human body uses enzymes to cut through food molecules, so that it can use and process the basic elements. These enzymes, while in a living human, are kept in check by living cells. When the body dies, the cells die, and the enzymes are free to break down anything they like. This process is also known as self-digestion.'_

"You thought you were there to guide me, you were only in my way.

You're wrong if you think that ill be

Just like you!"

'_I believe that Autolysis shows us the ideal form of how modern equipment should work._

_Instead of using common materials to build products that break easily and must be replaced, we should take things a step further._

_I believe that we should make products out of common materials, and find a way to 'program' it to self-digest after a set period of time. This is already used in Recyclable or _

_Decomposable materials, but what if the object could destroy itself, without having to be dumped somewhere?'_

"Cause I can't take living with you…"

"_Self- digestion, or in this case, dissolution, could-"_

**DOKDOKDOK.**

What the hell? The music wasn't _that_ loud.

"I get it, dad. I'll turn it down!" she yelled.

_Surprising you can even hear, after all that stupid football you blast._

"I'm not your dad," came the amused reply.

_Huh?_

Anna dropped her books, leaning over them to move the curtain.

The new guy was standing in the rain, hood up and soaked.

He gave a little wave, smiling cockily.

"Hullo."

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**Sorry to end it there, it was going too long, and I figured it would make more sense to just add the rest as a short chapter.**

**Yes Ed, the next chapter **_**will**_** be so small that it could drown in a raindrop. What'cha gonna do about it?**

*Sticks out tongue, makes goofy face.*

**REVIEW! 8D**


	4. A flock of sheep

**Remember, if I owned FMA, Envy would wear pants.**

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She stared openly at the drenched blond, heavy raindrops pattering through the silence.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she called at last, breaking the pause.

"You forgot your stupid books yesterday."

She gaped at him in disbelief.

"You _followed_ me here for _books_? In the _rain_?"

He groaned, sinking deeper into his sweater.

"Yeah, I did. What is this, 20 questions? Just let me in!"

She was surprised at his totally open request. Most stalkers were at least subtle.

She looked him over again, suddenly suspicious.

"Yeah, a complete stranger follows me home, and I'm going to let him in because he asks," she drawled. "No offense, but I need a better reason."

He shivered, and rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm soaked. It's freezing out here. Do you want your damn books or not?"

***Clic.***

The door popped open, and he scrambled in like a rat escaping a flood. Anna gasped at a sharp wind that suddenly blew through, stealing what minimal heat she already had.

"Ah! Shitshitshitshitshit! Cold! Close the door!

***Clic.***

The wind and noise from outside died out as the door shut, leaving Anna with a soaked visitor and an awkward silence the size of New Jersey.

She sat there, staring at him as he caught his breath.

_**Drip.**_

_Well now._

_**Drip.**_

_So much for a dry mattress._

_**Drip.**_

_What do I do now? Offer tea and scones?_

_**Drip.**_

_He's still a little cute…_

_**Drip.**_

_WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?_

Suddenly, he looked straight at her, as if hearing her mental scream.

_Shit, now I have to say something meaningful._

"So…"

_Good start, pretty vague. Keep going…_

"You're pretty soaked."

"No shit."

_That's all I could come up with? Stupid!_

She sighed, moving her papers away from the steadily growing puddle.

"Well, would you like to dry off?"

She tossed him her second towel, and he caught it mid-air.

"Why do you care?," he asked, toweling off his head.

"I don't, it's not my problem if you get sick," she quipped, leaning back on the wall.

"But you're getting my stuff wet, and when your shit affects my shit, it _is_ my problem."

He stopped abruptly, and glared at her from under the towel.

"Not my fault it's raining… damn nature thinks it's so smart…" he grumbled.

The end result looked to Anna like a disgruntled golden retriever hiding under a rug, and another one of her inconveniently-timed loud chuckles ripped loose, leaving Ed a confused blond puddle in the corner. He thought he could hear 'puppy', 'carpet', and 'picture', but it was pretty messed up, so he could be wrong. Either way, this girl was something nuts. Why had he even thought of this?

"Uhhh…." he interrupted, clutching a plastic grocery bag,

"Do you still want your books?"

The laughter puttered out, and she reached for the bag eagerly.

"Thanks," she giggled, still trying to hold in her amusement.

"You know you didn't have to walk all the way here, right?"

He shrugged.

"It's not like I was doing anything else on a Thursday afternoon."

His unnervingly bright eyes tilted, drifting towards the corner where she had just tossed her library books.

"Doing a project?"

Anna straightened, happily approaching familiar territory.

"No, just doing some reading."

"Odd reading choices."

Anna shrugged at the comment.

"Meh, not really. It's just therapeutic. Sort of soothing, you know?"

He quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"You meditate on physics?"

"Yeah," she sighed, dreamily.

"My favorite concept is the ten dimensions of reality. The idea is that the first dimension is a dot, like a dot on a graph, that can be found with two numbers, an X and a Y axis."

Her eyes began to glaze, and she continued on, oblivious to the boy's intense contemplative stare.

"The second dimension is like a picture on that axis. Each corner or line on the picture can also be described with an X and Y axis, but there are multiple measurements to tell us where the lines and dots go. Like a graphed connect-the-dots.

The third dimension is any object or thing that needs three measurements. Like a cube. To build a box, you need three basic measurements, or an X, Y, and Z axis. Things in the third dimension don't interact with other dimensions, but we're still in the same place.

The fourth dimension is time, and a person's entire life could last forever in the time it takes to blink, or it could be a blink inside of forever, it has no real measurement…"

Her eyes cleared, suddenly realizing that she had been babbling.

"Sorry," she blushed, embarrassed.

"I do that sometimes."

The blond stared into space for a moment, thinking.

"N… No, that's alright."

He shook his head, as if trying to toss loose a stray thought that was nagging at him.

_This could be what I'm looking for…_

"I'm sorry, I've gotta go. Thanks," he added, in reply to her curious look.

"I've got work to do. See you at school?"

She nodded, smirking.

"See ya."

He climbed back out of the little trailer, shivering at the wind as it bit through his still-damp sweater.

_What am I going to do? I don't even know if this girl understands what she's talking about!_

Frowning, he began his way back down the muddy slope, doing his best to concentrate on his balance. Damn, it was slippery.

"Hey, catch," Anna called.

_What?_

He reflexively turned, stopping a scarlet bundle in a flight towards his face.

"You can't walk all the way back down the road in those wet things. Don't worry, it's from the guy's section, just give it back later."

Curious, he unfolded the bundle to discover an oversized blood-red hoodie, with the words '_WELCOME TO MY WORLD_' printed in bold black letters on the back.

He allowed a small smirk to slip past his guard at the sight, despite the frigid water trickling down the back of his neck.

What were the odds?

He was most definitely back.

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**He's back, baby. X) Turns out that wasn't as short as I feared. It was almost longer than the first one! :D Don't forget to review, I'm open to any plot suggestions!**

**REVIEW!**


	5. A herd of cattle

Oh my god, sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! It was 2 in the morning when I posted, and I accedentally uploaded the wrong chapter! Thank you so much for pointing it out. :P

**Remember, if I owned FMA, I'd superglue Armstrong's shirt on!**

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Mr. Eric flicked a pen in little circles.

It was a multi-pen. You know, the little dollar-store kind that had the red, green, blue and black sliding bits on the side, the ones you slide down all the buttons at the same time and scribble out a bunch of explosion-y lines all over your scrap paper.

He was marking papers with the red side.

While drinking coffee.

Caffeinated. Three sugar cubes, 'Irish Cream" powdered coffee white.

Two mystery chemical capsules for blood pressure.

Wait- he flipped the pen, now flicking it counter-clockwise.

_**Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic.**_

He was grading papers. Not Anna's class, some other group of sniveling morons.

_**Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic.**_

Sip of coffee. Puts the cup down. Leans back. stretch.

2 minutes to go, and he'd stand up and go to the bathroom .

3 minutes and 32 seconds, and he's start washing his hands.

4 minutes, and he's be back in his chair, marking papers again. This time he's have the green pen clicked, because the radical, unpredictable, wild guy that he was, he liked to shake things up a bit.

Blue if he was in a good mood.

1 minute and 30 seconds, and Anna would start climbing up the drainpipe, in the rain, after school, so she could get inside to steal her boots back.

_Pen-flicking motherfucker. _

Anna did not feel one whit of remorse for her mental language towards the man.

She was wet, she was tired, and after two days wandering home barefoot, she wanted her goddamned fucking shoes back.

Then, she wanted to meet the guy who invented the word 'whit', and kick his ass for making up such a stupid-sounding word.

Needless to say, she wasn't in the best of moods.

_C'mon, get up, you old geezer, _she grumbled. _This is your THIRD cup of fucking coffee. Might as well get an I.V. at this point! No wait, gills! We could get you a giant fishbowl, just dump your desk in and let you swim in the damn stuff all day…_

"What are you doing?"

_WHAT THE HELL?_

She tensed in her crouching position, but relaxed at a glimpse of red in her peripheral.

"Oh. Hi Edward."

He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was still wearing her sweater, but she wasn't about to ask for it back any time soon. Somehow, the unzipped loose red hoodie over his usual black t-shirt just looked -right- somehow.

_And he's still wearing those construction gloves,_ she noted._ I should ask him what he does sometime._

"So, what are you doing?" he repeated.

Anna sighed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm gonna try to get my shoes back," she growled.

"If I can't get them back, I'll have to move my trailer and sleep on this side of town, and that's a bit too close to school for my liking."

"Your trailer? Wait…" he drifted off, pensive.

"Hey, you mean that dinky little neon cat thingy? You actually _live_ in that thing?" he inquired, shocked.

"It's NYAN cat, and don't diss my ride," she defended.

"I had to call in some pretty big favors to get that sucker running."

"Favors?" he asked.

"What kind of favors earn you an astro-rainbow-cat-crack-cycle?"

"Let's just say that the metal shop junkies never had any solid evidence linking them to Mrs. Sander's missing iguana."

Anna smiled dreamily at the memory.

"Three hours, celery sticks, chalk, rags, and a shitload of time spent in a paint drawer, but in the end, totally worth it."

The blond grimaced at the possibilities.

"Uh, yeah. Sounds intriguing."

"Well then, I'll be sure to tell you about it sometime."

_**Beep-beep beep beep beep beep-**_

_Time already?_

**Clic.**

"Sorry Ed, be right back"

She turned abruptly, grabbing hold of the drainpipe in front of her.

Ed watched, surprised (and slightly admiring), as Anna placed one foot on each side of the wall and began to shimmy up the length of it, reminiscent of a lizard in a tree.

A minute later, her legs disappeared through the window.

"Watch out!" came a hiss, and he stepped to the side just in time to avoid being hit in the face with a particularly muddy boot.

"Hey, watch where you-"

Te second one struck him in the right shoulder with a hollow _**dong.**_

"Hey, ow! Watch it!" he complained, hoping silently that she hadn't notice the unnatural noise.

Luck was on his side for once; she seemed occupied.

"Shit!"

There was a quiet shuffle, and `then a blur of chestnut hair as Anna jumped back out of the window, tucking and rolling to land in a less-than-graceful heap on the lawn in front of him.

He looked down, openmouthed.

"Uhhh…."

"Shut up and run! I think he saw me!"

He stared dumbly.

"Who-?"

"The motherfucking Easter bunny! C'mon, scramble!"

She raced to pick up her retrieved shoes, and within moments she was tearing away towards the parking lot, Edward trailing behind her.

"**Wait! Hey!**"he shouted as she got farther ahead.

"**Why am I following you?**"

"**Because you're an accomplice, and you're gonna be in shit up to your ass if you don't!**" she called over a shoulder, not slowing down in the least.

"**Oh, great! I knew there must be a reason!**"

_So much for a peaceful afternoon,_ he sighed. He had been planning on heading to the library after school.

"Tree!" she called, pointing forwards.

"**What?**"

"**TREE! Make like a monkey!**"

She then proceeded to do so, shimmying up again like she had on the drainpipe, right there at the edge of the forest.

The blond stopped there, looking up as she climbed, shoes dangling by the laces clamped in her teeth.

_THAT is my ticket home? I'm insane…_

"HURRY UP, BLONDIE! Oh fuck, they sent a janitor…"

One confused look at the burly, snarling man lurching towards him, and Ed was right up there in the tree with Anna, shaking in fear.

"Th-_That_'s the _custodian_? What the hell! What kind of messed-up school _is_ this?"

"We're rural," Anna shrugged. "We know how to train livestock."

She leaned closer.

"They feed 'em pot roast. It makes 'em grumpier," she whispered confidentially.

"Turkey just makes them sleepy."

She shuffled on her branch, trying to get comfortable. Ed didn't think he'd _ever_ be comfortable in a situation like this.

After the snarling noise below died down, he chanced a look. He wished he hadn't.

_Is he __**chewing**__ on the tree?_

He leaned farther over to look, with the same morbid fascination people had when burning ants, or watching a car wreck get cleaned up.

_It sure looks like it…_

"Hey, got any cheese?"

The abrupt question caused him to jump, nearly falling out of the tree.. Only a quick grab by Anna saved him from a grisly, cannibalistic-janitor-related death.

"Whoa there, Blondie. Careful."

"What did you just ask me for?" he asked, getting a little frustrated by the recent turn of events.

"Cheese," she repeated. "Do you have any?"

He shook his head 'no', and she sighed mournfully.

"That's too bad. They really love cheese."

She grinned evilly, sending chills down his spine.

"Besides, it kills their sense of smell."

Another sigh escaped her, and she leaned back on her branch, resting her back on the trunk and crossing her arms.

"Better get comfortable, Blondie. The poor sucker's probably going after us until his shift's over, so we might as well get some rest."

_Is she kidding? he wondered, waiting for the punch line._

_He didn't get one._

_With one last forlorn gaze towards the road, he closed his eyes._

_What had he gotten himself into this time?_


	6. A raft of auks

**Remember, if I owned FMA, Feury would've gone on that date with Scieszka.**

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Edward wasn't quite sure where he was when he woke up.

It was dark, the air was cool, the stars were out, and he could hear the faint chirruping of crickets in the foliage. At first, he thought he was back in Amestris, traveling with Al in between towns, still back at home. Then he remembered.

He had been swallowed by gluttony, along with ling and Envy.

Something had happened… he had woken up here…

What was going on?

_**Sknn-uuuur-kckckk-ttttzzz….**_

The terrible noise shook him back into the present, and he noted with some slight surprise that he was in a tree, with some girl, who was currently snoring like an old man and clutching a pair of shoes.

_Oh yeah… Anna._

He watched her for a second, not sure if he should wake her up or not.

A little piece of chestnut hair had fallen into her face as she slept, and now it drifted slowly up and down with her snores. He had snuggled deep into her black sweater, so that only the bridge of her nose and her eyelids were visible.

It looked odd, after all that had happened in his life, that someone could be around him and still sleep so peacefully.

_Cute…_

_**SKNRRRRRRR…**_

He winced, hands flinching towards his ears.

_Okay, a little less cute now._

"Hey, Anna. Time to get up," he called.

"Anna, c'mon."

She still didn't even flinch. He sighed.

"ANNA! WAKEY-WAKEY!"

"SHRRFDAMNIT! FUCK! What?" She darted up, and Ed watched as she wobbled and fell right out of the tree.

_*Fwish*_

"Screw you, Ed."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

She hadn't fallen far, only a few feet, before somehow wrapping her lags around a branch criss-cross style.

Her arms hung below her head limply, and she groaned.

"That's totally gonna mess up my _spiiiiiine_….", she moaned.

"Wait…" she looked around, seeming to just suddenly realize her surroundings.

"Damn, it's late! Why didn't you wake me up?"

Ed snorted.

"Because I was asleep, too. Kind of hard to wake someone up when you're unconscious."

"True," she mused.

"C'mon. We should go. I assume Frank is gone, since you don't look like wetting yourself any time soon?"

"That's just gross! I- wait, that THING had a name?"

She grinned.

"'Course he did. They can _talk_, you know. He just missed his coffee break today."

"Ah," he said, at a loss for words.

He watched vacantly as Anna scrambled back down to the round, and followed after as soon as her feet touched the ground.

She was just finishing the laces on the second shoe as his feet touched the ground, the left one creaking quietly under the sudden pressure.

_Damn. How long since I've oiled it? Winry would kill me…_

He paused, spacing out for a minute.

_Winry… And Al. I wonder how they're doing? My dissaperrance probably got tham all worried… I hope I haven't messed things up for them._

"Ed?"

He looked behind him. Anna was up again, moving to leave.

"You coming?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

They began walking back towards the road, Anna leading. Occasionally, she would stop to hold a branch or a plant out of his way, but they moved silently and continuously asides from that.

Anna watched him stumble over a blackberry vine carefully, clutching a pine branch.

Something about the new student was… off. He hadn't mentioned family or hobbies, and although he seemed to get along fairly well traversing the forest, she got the impression that he wasn't exactly her type of country kid. Most kids she knew were loud and talkative, a front that she too was very good at putting on, but even though most could pull off faking 'normal', he seemed… older, somehow. Like he had something to think about that was worth thinking on.

_I wonder…_

"Hey Ed?"

He looked up, quickly wiping his expression blank.

"What?"

"Where's your family staying?"

He shot her a quizzical face, adding a light smirk.

"Weren't you accusing me of stalking you yesterday?" he quipped.

"Well, yeah, I did. But I never showed up at your house while you were trying to study. Maybe I'll return the favor."

"Uh, no thanks."

_Huh…_

"Besides, I'm living alone right now."

Anna stopped walking to stare openly, surprised.

"You live alone? I thought your family moved here from Germany?"

He looked away, and gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, well… It's more of an exchange program thing. I actually left my brother and H- …and my _Dad _back in Hohenroth. I'm only staying temporarily."

"Oh."

She didn't believe him; not entirely. He was still holding something back.

"_So, _where are you staying?" she repeated, slowly.

"You never did answer me."

"Um, in a house."

"Yeah, but _where?_ There's no houses for sale, I- Wait…"

Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you tenting?"

"Wha- No!" he denied.

"Ed, don't you dare lie to me," she growled. "I _will_ make you regret it."

Edward swallowed at her expression. Only Riza and Winry had ever managed to pull it off before.

_Am I some kind of socio-magnet, or something? What is it with these crazy women?_

She took a step closer, and he backed up.

"WHOA! Whoa, okay. I'm in the house up in that place called mist meadows, by the bridge."

She stopped her advance, thinking over his response.

"The place by the- What the hell, Ed! You're shacking up in a _TREEHOUSE?_"

"You're one to talk! You live in a NEON CAT!"

"IT'S _NYAN_ CAT! Get it right!"

"It's a pet trailer!"

"Yeah, but it's better than that dinky box you call a house! Do you have any idea how _old_ that thing is?"

"Um…"

"My _OPA*_ built it. _That's how old it is. Nobody's been there in years! I didn't even know it was still there!"_

"_Oh."_

_There was a silence._

"_Well, now I know."_

_Anna groaned; He must be acting stupid on purpose. Nobody was this dense._

_She leaned back as she walked, folding her arms behind her head and gazing out at the stars._

_There was so many tonight; usually, it was too cloudy to see anything, but the rain earlier must've drained the skies. A thick band of little white pinpricks ran horizontally across the inky blackness, leaving her with a slight twinge of vertigo, and the oddest sensation that she was standing sideways._

_She shook her head and looked down again, trying her best not to fall over. That would certainly impress the new kid; 'the amazing clumsy girl: with feet of fumbleness, she stumbles to the rescue!" She chuckled at the image, earning a concerned glance from the blond beside her._

"_You okay?"_

"_Yeah."_


End file.
